Since her first year at Castilleja in sixth grade, Briana Perez ’25 has learned to, as she puts it, “just go for it.”
Her self-discovery journey started in her sophomore year when she got a severe concussion at a party she went to with her cousin. Going back to school after such a serious injury was difficult, especially being as shy as she was. She tended to assume that teachers would help her if she seemed to be struggling, but Perez had to learn self-advocacy and how to reach out to teachers if she needed extra help consistently.
Perez said that up until her sophomore year, she had the same set of friends, which held her back from coming out of her shell. But that summer, she ended up doing lots of camps and programs where she was able to make new friends and find her voice.
At Castilleja, Perez has explored many different subjects, but her favorite has been bioethics. Although Perez used to struggle in science, it’s always been a class she’s enjoyed. Since sixth grade, she’s considered science the most interesting class. However, she began to realize her love of biology in her junior year, when she took biology as her science class. Perez enjoyed biology because of how it relates to and affects the real world.
In college, Perez plans on majoring in biology and psychology because of how much she’s enjoyed those classes in high school. Another class Perez has come to adore is photography. In her free time, Perez likes to explore abandoned buildings with her friends, which she says is perfect for taking photos.
Other significant extracurriculars Perez participated in at Castilleja include Gatorbotics, as well as helping out in the library as a TA. Although Perez only did Gatorbotics her junior year, she’s been a TA since her sophomore year. She has also been a part of the LatinX affinity group since sixth grade and is now a leader.
Looking back on her younger self and how much she’s grown as a person, Perez said if she could go back and tell her younger self something, it would be, “Step out of your shell. Things don’t matter as much as you think they do.”